Launching with Purpose: How FKSuffering Is Using Publishing to Support Mental Health
For many businesses, charitable giving comes later. For FKSuffering, it was built into the project from the very beginning.
Founded by Matthias Ciappara, FKSuffering is a new publishing and content project exploring psychology, philosophy and mental health. Its first release, It’s All A F*cking Facade, launched in May 2026 with a mission that extends beyond selling books: helping to fund mental health support for people who need it most.
“Mental health can affect anyone, and a human ready to listen in an age of disconnection may be what someone on the edge needs at potentially the only time that matters.”
The project supports Samaritans, and Richmond Foundation Malta, with donations linked directly to book sales and merchandise.
Samaritans provides confidential emotional support to people in distress, offering a listening service for those experiencing feelings of despair or suicidal thoughts. Richmond Foundation Malta is a leading mental health organisation providing community-based support, therapy, rehabilitation programmes and mental health education. Together, the charities reflect the project’s focus on ensuring people have access to support, care and connection when they need it most.
For Matthias, the decision to support mental health charities was deeply personal.
“I personally struggled with my mental health over the years, and I know a lot of others do too - some silently, some we don't even notice.”
Drawing on his professional background designing engagement mechanics within the gambling industry, Matthias reflects on how digital systems can influence attention, behaviour and emotional wellbeing.
“We have ultimately made our phones so much more engaging than our actual lives that it is slowly making normal things in life feel insufferable.”
Originally conceived as a guide to navigating the unconscious patterns that shape our lives, It’s All A F*cking Facade evolved into something more reflective and personal.
“What this became is a mirror - one that makes you question your own behaviour to better understand yourself.”
The giving model is ambitious. FKSuffering is working towards a fundraising target of €50,000, split equally between Samaritans and Richmond Foundation Malta. The funds will be raised through a combination of e-book proceeds, sales of its limited-edition hardcover books, and "Your Life Matters. Always." merchandise.
By building giving into multiple products from the outset, the project creates several ways for readers and supporters to contribute towards the same goal while helping to fund vital mental health services.
Rather than treating charitable giving as a later addition, Matthias explains that the project was designed around it from day one.
“We built the overall product economics from the start, rather than making it an afterthought.”
For the wider team involved in the project, the charitable mission has become a shared point of purpose, even in these early stages.
“Ultimately, the whole company is structured around the same goal, in different ways.”
Work for Good has also helped simplify the practical side of international charitable giving.
“Whilst handling Malta-to-Malta charity work is relatively straightforward, doing this with a foreign country is not. Work for Good helps iron out a lot of details and makes the process more straightforward.”
Still at the beginning of its journey, FKSuffering represents a different kind of publishing project - one where storytelling, philosophy and mental health advocacy are closely intertwined.
Key takeaway:
FKSuffering shows how purpose can be embedded into a venture from day one - turning a new creative project into a platform for mental health awareness, reflection and meaningful charitable impact.
To learn more about the FKSuffering project please visit their website and follow them on instagram